Catching up on the big stories

To simply state that I have been overwhelmed with the response from recent commentaries I have written for WorldNetDaily would be a grossly inadequate means of expressing the reality. Three recent items I have written have sparked considerable interest, and a volume of requests for additional information I am frankly incapable of servicing. I learned a valuable lesson. Please accept my most sincere and heartfelt apologies for not being able to respond to every request. However, in an effort to accommodate your obvious desire for more details, I am using this space to play catch up, and point you in the direction of resources where you can get what you seek.

Echelon

Last week’s Big Brother piece which referenced Echelon and the UKUSA treaty resulted in over 500 requests for more information and the e-mail just keeps on coming. Several have complained about various annoyances of assorted search tools for specific venues. I have found a one stop source which offers most of what has been sought regarding Echelon. You can find it at http://www.accessone.com/~rivero/POLITICS/ECHELON/echelon.html. Hopefully, this will fulfill the need so many of you have, and which I am prohibited from detailing for you.

Y2K Dangers

My understated pessimism about the Y2K problem has also precipitated significant response. One of the best, and most comprehensive resources for this issue is Gary North. However, Peter Harris has put a consolidated list of the big stories and important links at the following location http://www.universalprosthesis.com

Strange Death of James McDougal

I received several fascinating and insightful communications in the wake of my commentary on the death of Jim McDougal. One call came from Wesley Phelan who writes for the Washington Weekly (http://www.federal.com). Wes and I spoke at some length about my original piece and he made arrangements to travel to Fort Worth in an effort to get answers to questions I had raised. When was the lockdown and why? Why was McDougal selected a second time for a drug test? Was McDougal injected with Lasix and why? Was he (in light of his medical history) monitored, specifically to determine the impact of the drug on his potassium levels? Why was his body moved to John Peter Smith Hospital instead of the hospital with which the Bureau of Prisons had a contract? Et cetera.

The Washington Weekly reporting on McDougal’s death has been excellent and I encourage you to seek out Phelan’s articles. Specifically look for the April 20th piece entitled “Federal Officials Uncooperative in McDougal Investigation”/ “A Narrative Account.”

Numbers of the Most Ethical Administration Ever

In response to those petty partisan morons who continue to insist that Judge Kenneth Starr’s investigations are much ado about nothing, herewith is a brief, albeit incomplete list: 6 special prosecutors have been appointed (so far) 8 Cabinet members have been investigated (so far) 14 guilty pleas and convictions have been obtained by Judge Starr including one Governor, one Associate Attorney General, and two Clinton business partners. Two indictments are pending (so far). 7 individuals, five corporations and one law firm have been convicted as a result of special prosecutor Donald Smaltz. Three indictments are pending, including one against a former Agriculture Secretary (so far). 7 indictments are pending in the investigation by Independent Counsel David Barrett including an indictment of former HUD Secretary Cisneros. 6 indictments or guilty pleas have been obtained in inquiries growing out of the Ron Brown situations (so far). Over $10.5 million has been assessed in fines and costs as a result of the Smaltz investigation (which is running a profit). Over 900 FBI files have been misappropriated by the White House. Some 160 visits were made to the White House by Johnny Chung, James Riady, John Huang, and Charlie Trie (all of whom are subjects of investigations). The 1996 Clinton campaign had budgeted $1 mllion to pay for possible/anticipated campaign finance fines. 577 campaign contributors were given overnights at the White House in the two years prior to the 1996 election. 40 problem areas were listed in a memo by Clinton’s own lawyer in preparation for the president’s defense. Over 200,000 names are estimated to be in the White House database without the knowledge of those listed. The Drudge Report received almost 30,000 hits from the White House domain (eop.gov) in the month ending February 13th. 72 Whitewater witnesses who have been sought by congressional committees have plead the 5th Amendment (48 of those), fled the country (12 of those), or are foreigners who have to date refused to be interviewed (another dozen of those). 17 men who have served Clinton as bodyguards or aides have died violently, four during the Waco disaster and the rest in plane crashes. 5 others in the circle of Clinton have been killed in plane crashes, six have died of unknown causes, three have been murdered, two have died in fatal skiing accidents, one in a car accident and one of a heart attack while in solitary confinement (James McDougal).